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<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
Three miners were shot by the Zimbabwe Republic Police on 25 September, when police forced the end of a three-week wage arrears strike at the Shabanie asbestos mine in the southwestern town of Zvishavane. During the peaceful protest of that day, police fired tear gas into a crowd of 1,000 miners and their families. 
 
The three, two men and one woman, were seriously injured with gunshot wounds to the legs and hands. Incredulously, three days after the police violence, the three were hauled into a local courtroom in wheelchairs and charged with public violence. Scores others were also arrested. 
 
The names of the three who were shot are Alois Zhou, Taurai Zhao, and Simbarashe Mashuku. 

<img alt="" src="" width="250" height="115" />
The 2,280 striking miners, of the Shebanie Mine Workers Union, part of the ICEM-affiliated Associated Mine Workers of Zimbabwe (AMWZ), had not been paid their full wages since January 2009. Shabanie, along with Mashaba, two of the largest asbestos mines in Zimbabwe, had been taken over by the government in 2004 under Mugabe regime&rsquo;s Reconstruction of State-Indebted Insolvent Companies Act. 
 
The mines had been operated by Shabanie Mashaba Mine Holdings (SMMH), a company controlled by businessman Mutumwa Mawere, a Zimbabwean living in South Africa who is accused of taking some US$80 million in assets out of Zimbabwe. 
 
By all appearances, the Shebanie mine was productive and profitable under a government-appointed administrator. But calls for payment of wages were ignored. 
 
The police brutality ten days ago produced immediate and terse condemnation by a number of organizations. Wellington Chibebe of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) called for the resignation of the two co-Home Affairs Ministers for their indifference to the incident. 

<img alt="" src="" width="85" height="93" />
In condemning the unprovoked shootings, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) said the strike by asbestos miners started on 31 August. &ldquo;However, the striking workers have been forced to go back to work after being visited by gun-toting policemen and the dreaded Central Intelligence Operatives. The state security agents together with Shebanie Mine security officers visited workers in their homes on 29 September threatening them that if they did not return to work the following day, the workers should vacate not only the mine house they occupy but also get out of town.&rdquo; 
 
COSATU also reported the home of ZCTU Zvishavane District Secretary Ndodana Sithole was raided and ransacked on 30 September, with police demanding to know what action ZCTU was planning in response to the 25 September police violence. 
 
The ICEM supports the ZCTU in its call for a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into the September police actions in Zvishavane.

Three Miners Shot, Hundreds Gassed in Zimbabwe Near Asbestos Mine

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In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we call on ICEM affiliates to get involved in activities on World AIDS Day (1 December) and report, among others, on the International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific and the road towards an ILO instrument on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. 
 
The ICEM Calls on its Affiliates to Contribute to this e-bulletin 
 
ICEM affiliates are already engaged in a wide range of HIV/AIDS activities. To spread the information on new agreements, awareness, and prevention campaigns, and educational activities, affiliates and project coordinators are invited to send news and information to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. Any feedback on the format and contents of the e-bulletin is also welcome. 
 
Editor: Hans J Schwass, ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant 

<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
World AIDS Day 2009 &ndash; Call on ICEM Affiliates to be Active 
 
As every year, World AIDS Day will be held on 1 December. ICEM affiliates must plan their participation in national activities now. 
 
The theme of this year&rsquo;s World AIDS Day is Universal Access and Human Rights. Campaign material is designed with the &ldquo;I AM&rdquo; theme, adopting the key slogans: I am accepted; I am safe; I am getting treatment; I am well and I am living my rights. 
 
Supporting material &ndash; four posters and two postcards &ndash; has been made available by the World AIDS Campaign. These can be downloaded from their website <a href="http://www.worldaidscampaign.org">www.worldaidscampaign.org</a>. Hardcopies, which are available in English, Spanish, French, and Russian, can also be ordered from the ICEM. Please send an email to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a> indicating language and number of copies (deadline 23 October). 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
HIV/AIDS and the World of Work &ndash; ILO Consultations 
 
The ILO has recently transmitted to Governments the text of the proposed new Recommendation on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work. The text is contained in the Third Report and it has been prepared by the ILO on the basis of the first discussion at the 98th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in June 2009. The Governments are now requested to inform the ILO about amendments to suggest, or comments to make, and to inform the ILO whether they consider that the proposed text provides a satisfactory basis for the second discussion by the Conference at its 99th Session in June 2010. The deadline for reply is 19 November 2009. 
 
A Government is supposed to contact and consult national trade union centres before finalizing its reply (pursuant to Article 39, paragraph 6, of the Standing Orders). ICEM affiliates are urged to get involved in the inputs from their national centres. The ILO document, the so-called Brown Report (because of the colour of its cover), Report V (1), ILC 99th Session 2010 can be found <a href="http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_112365.pdf ">here</a>. 
 
(Source: ITUC Circular no. 55 of 25 September) 

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International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) 
 
The 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific took place in Bali, Indonesia, in August under the theme, &ldquo;Empowering People, Strengthening Networks.&rdquo; It brought together more than 3,000 participants, including representatives from the Global Unions and local unionists. 
 
In the workplace, stigma and discrimination are the major barriers for workers infected with HIV. They are often blamed for their condition, discriminated in employment and fired because they are living with HIV/AIDS. During a satellite session on workplace intervention, Dr Syed Asif Altar, Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator of the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF), spoke on the role of trade unions in reducing risky behaviour among transport workers &ndash; transportation having been identified, together with mining and the fisheries industry, as the most vulnerable sectors in Asia. In the symposium on the impact of the financial crisis on labour migration and HIV, Christopher Ng, APRO Regional Secretary of UNI Global Union called on governments to utilize various types of overseas workers&rsquo; funds to assist migrant workers and their families including access to HIV services in the country of origin and country of destination. 
 
A UNAIDS report released at the Congress, claimed that an estimated 50 million women in Asia are at risk of contracting HIV from male partners who engage in risky sexual behaviour. The report, &ldquo;HIV Transmission in Intimate Partner Relationships in Asia,&rdquo; states that of the 1.7 million women now living with HIV in Asia, more than 90% have acquired the virus from their husbands or long-term boyfriends. 
 
(Source: Information from participants, the ILO website and Jakarta Post of 15 August) 

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Global Fund Meeting on Public/Private Partnerships and Co-Investments 
 
In an effort to re-establish a dialogue between the Global Fund and organisations involved in public/private partnership co-investment projects, the Global Fund organised an inter-agency meeting on 14 September. 
 
Such projects benefit from input of the private sector such as clinics, medical staff and management expertise. The private sector in turn can expand HIV/AIDS interventions and services with GF grants channelled through the public sector or as direct recipient of such grants. In remote areas, which is especially the case for mining, with an insufficient public health service, companies can close the gap by extending HIV/AIDS and other health services to the wider community in which they operate in. 
 
The ICEM welcomes this re-engagement. One of the objectives of the meeting was to discuss ways in which employer and employee organisations can access Global Fund grants. The fact that employee organisations are included is a step forward. The ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant, who was the only unionist participating in the meeting, insisted that in future considerations of co-investment projects, unions be given their rightful role. He stressed that for the ICEM, as a Global Union Federation, the private sector is business and organised labour comprises trade unions. HIV/AIDS interventions that are only management driven are not likely to succeed. 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
Treatment Time Bomb 
 
The goal of achieving universal access to treatment by 2010 has preoccupied the global AIDS community in recent years, but a new report warns that not preparing for the changing treatment needs of people living with HIV will doom the sustainability of treatment programmes in developing countries. Over the next decade an increasing number of patients on inexpensive first-line antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in low-income countries will need second-line ARVs, which currently cost at least seven times more. 
 
&quot;The Treatment Timebomb,&quot; released this month by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on AIDS, a group of UK MPs, argues that action is needed now to bring down the price of second-line and less toxic first-line ARVs if a crisis later is to be averted. 
 
Low-income countries can afford to buy older-generation ARVs largely because multiple manufacturers are producing generic versions of them at a fraction of the original cost, but most of the newer drugs are being produced under patents that prevent generic manufacture. The AAPG report points out that safeguards in the World Trade Organization's Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) allow countries to override patents - for public health purposes - by issuing &quot;compulsory licenses&quot; that enable the generic manufacture of drugs still under patent. However, few developing countries have exercised this right. 
 
The Clinton Foundation announced that it had reached agreements with two major drug companies to bring the cost of second-line ARVs to under US$500 per person annually. As an example, at present, second-line ARVs in Kenya cost around US$1,000 per person per year, while first-line ARVs cost under US$100. 
 
(Source: IRIN PlusNews, 28 July and 7 August) 

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Canadian Labour Congress Signs Agreement with ITUC Africa 
 
The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) signed an HIV and AIDS advocacy agreement with the African regional organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC Africa). The agreement, for an initial period of two years, creates a partnership approach to addressing HIV and AIDS and promotes universal access to prevention, treatment, and care of infected workers and their families. 
 
The accord is not limited to training and education but includes joint political lobbying on HIV/AIDS at international bodies, such as the G8, which will be hosted by Canada in the summer of 2010. It covers strengthening of workplace initiatives and reaching agreements with employers. As these are within the domain of industrial and sectoral unions affiliated to national centres, the partnership contains a provision for other sectors to join the exercise. 
 
(Source: CLC Press Statement, 1 September) 

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Global Fund Five-Year Evaluation Completed 
 
Launched in November 2006, when the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria was approaching its fifth anniversary, the Five-Year Evaluation has been completed after more than two years of work. It would go beyond the scope of this e-bulletin to go into the findings of all three study areas of the evaluation, of which the third one &ndash; Health Impact &ndash; alone cost US$11.7 million. 
 
Not surprisingly, the main finding is that the rapid increase in funding from all partners for the three diseases has resulted in a major expansion in access to services in these countries and has improved coverage of interventions, which will likely impact disease burden. 
 
More specifically, on HIV/AIDS the evaluation found a dramatic increase in the coverage of antiretroviral treatment. That was to be expected as the major thrust of Global Fund grants in the first years was treatment. Other findings include major gaps in basic requirements, such as trained personnel, guidelines, medicines, and equipment, which negatively impact on the quality of services. The evaluation also found that there was little evidence of behaviour change among the most at risk. 
 
It has to be noted that the impact study extended to only 18 countries of the 136 which had received grants at the time of the evaluation. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 106, 19 August. GFO is a free service of Aidspan (<a href="mailto:www.aidspan.org">mailto:www.aidspan.org</a>). To receive GFO, send an email to receive-gfo-<a href="mailto:newsletter@aidspan.org">newsletter@aidspan.org</a>. 

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This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; How to Subscribe 
 
To subscribe to the e-bulletin, send an email to <a href="mailto:press@icem.org">press@icem.org</a>. Please put &ldquo;subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin&rdquo; in the subject line.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 49 October 2009

On 15 October 2009, 50 workers from four Dutch unions, including ICEM affiliates FNV Bondgenoten and CNV Bedrijvenbond, will assemble at the European headquarters of Sappi in Brussels. There, between 14h00 and 15h00 European time, they will present a petition signed by nearly 800 paperworkers at Sappi&rsquo;s Nijmegen and Maastricht mills. 
 
Since early in the summer, the unions have been unsuccessful in negotiating a new collective agreement with Sappi at these two mills. Finally on 17 September, Sappi presented a final offer. It called for a 0.5% increase effective 1 July 2009, and a 0.9% increase on 1 April 2010. Workers rejected it with better than a 95% vote. 
 
What&rsquo;s more, Sappi seeks to eliminate days off that senior workers, age 55 and over, have accrued due to longevity of service. These no-work days, called &ldquo;seniorendagen&rdquo; in Dutch, are very few per year for each worker of that age, but Sappi made it clear in negotiations that its wage offer was so low because Dutch workers insist on keeping this rightful benefit. These no-work days have been earned by Dutch staff who have long years of service, and they should not have to be given up. 
 
Below, please find a letter that ICEM is hopeful your union can send to the European CEO of Sappi on 15 October. Please cut and paste it (or feel free to change it to fit your union&rsquo;s style), attach it your letterhead and send to the e-mail address of Mr Berry Wiersum, as well as the two fax numbers of Sappi&rsquo;s Brussels office. 
 
It is important to do this on Thursday, 15 October, in order to support our Dutch colleagues who will be traveling to Brussels to present a petition on that day. Thank you for your support and initiative on behalf of our colleagues in The Netherlands.
Please be sure to copy your letter to the following:
Ans van den Akker
<a href="mailto:ansvandenakker@orange.nl">ansvandenakker@orange.nl</a>
Ilja Philippen-Nijssen
<a href="mailto:I.Philippen@bg.fnv.nl">I.Philippen@bg.fnv.nl</a>
Mariska Razoux Schultz-Helbig
<a href="mailto:M.Razouxschultz@bg.fnv.nl">M.Razouxschultz@bg.fnv.nl</a>
(do not hesitate to send your own solidarity message to these trade union leaders.)
&nbsp;
<img alt="" src="" width="280" height="76" />
&nbsp;15 October 2009 
 
Mr. Berry Wiersum 
CEO, Sappi Fine Papers Europe 
154 Chauss&eacute;e de la Hulpe 
B-1170 Brussels 
Belgium 
 
Transmit to <a href="mailto:berry.wiersum@sappi.com">berry.wiersum@sappi.com</a> and fax numbers +32 2 676 9601 and +32 2 676 9660 
 
Dear Mr. Wiersum: 
 
Our trade union, representing pulp and paper workers, has learned of the contract dispute at Sappi&rsquo;s two mills in the Netherlands, at Nijmegen and Maastricht. We understand that in late September, 800 workers at these two mills, represented by all Dutch unions solidly rejected a very inferior company proposal. 
 
We want it to be made known that Sappi&rsquo;s pay offer over the next 21 months is insulting. We also want it to be made known that Sappi&rsquo;s insistence on taking away the &ldquo;seniorendagen&rdquo; for workers with long-time service to the company is unfair. Workers age 55 and over have earned these days off and Sappi must adhere to contractual commitments it has made in the past. 
 
We urge you to instruct your managers in the Netherlands to return to dialogue with the workers&rsquo; representatives and raise the level of salary adjustments over the next two years, as well as assuring that senior workers retain what they have earned in their many long years of employment service to Sappi. 
 
Our union will be watching closely this dispute at your two mills in the Netherlands, and we intend to take further action if need be. We will strongly support our Dutch colleagues in all ways possible, and urge you now to prevent a dispute that will only deepen if Sappi does not return make an acceptable contract offer to Nijmegen and Maastricht workers. Thank you. 
 
Sincerely,

Sappi Dispute in Dutch Paper Mills; Act 15 October 2009

<img src="" width="120" height="59" alt="" />
A five-week strike at a BHP-owned manganese mine and smelter by members of the Kimberley branch of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in South Africa ended 5 October with a satisfactory one-year contract. 
 
The resolve came after global pressure was applied by ICEM mining affiliates, as well as attention given BHP&rsquo;s bargaining indifference at the recent statutory meeting of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), and at ICEM&rsquo;s Sub-Sahara Africa Region Meeting in Lagos, Nigeria, on 15 September. 
 
&ldquo;We were very fortunate to have international pressure and a COSATU focus on this strike,&rdquo; said NUM Kimberley Regional Coordinator Lucas Phiri. &ldquo;The arrogance of this company from the mine level to the Johannesburg office was something I have not seen in 12 years inside the NUM.&rdquo;
<img src="" width="110" height="120" alt="" />
The 920 miners and smelting-plant workers at BHP&rsquo;s Hozatel Manganese operation in the Northern Cape downed tools on 28 August. Their dispute was not just about wages &ndash; South African managers, in fact, were cancelling meetings both at the local level and with NUM national officers &ndash; but about parity between black and white miners, and for improved conditions for women in this remote mining region of the Northern Cape. 
 
With 90% of the 920 workers black, the NUM discovered that white workers at Hozatel got better medical assistance benefits, and received a transportation allowance of 2,000 rands per month, while blacks received 440 rands. Many miners live in hostels, but others travel from the village of Kuruman to the Hozatel operation. 
 
Due to outside pressure on BHP, local management finally got serious on addressing issues that caused the strike and called for talks on 5 October. Both sides agreed to an 8% pay increase effective 1 September, with a one-off 4,000 rand payment per worker for the period July-September 2009. A prior agreement expired 1 July, and this week&rsquo;s negotiated settlement will go until 1 September 2010.
<img src="" width="180" height="173" alt="" />
Another key issue resolved related to NUM&rsquo;s ability to recruit into membership workers in higher-level classifications. BHP originally demanded a 66% vote, but last Monday&rsquo;s resolve moved that to the standard 50% plus one, or a simple majority. 
 
Related to the parity issues, the two sides agreed to establish a separate bilateral forum to address and even out the disproportionate medical and transportation benefits between white and black workers. A deadline of 30 December 2009 has been put on resolving that. 
 
The same deadline holds for dealing with the employment equity between women and men, as well as the company&rsquo;s draconian policy of not granting maternity leave to women who have less than three years of employment service. 
 
The agreement &ldquo;was not all that we had hoped for,&rdquo; stated Phiri, &ldquo;but we are forever thankful for the outside pressure that moved a management that had before been so stubborn to address workers concerns.&rdquo; 
 
BHP operates Hozatel under its Middelplaats Manganese subsidiary, an asset it acquired with its partial buy-up of Semancor in the 1980s. The mine and ferrochrome smelting facility had originally been part of AngloAmerican.

Union Pressure Helps End BHP Manganese Strike in South Africa for NUM

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Four days before the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund officials meet with the Turkish Government, Global Unions met with Turkey&rsquo;s Minster for Labour, and lent their support to President Abdullah G&uuml;l&rsquo;s veto of a bill giving &ldquo;Private Labour Offices&rdquo; broad rights to place temporary workers in enterprises and warned of the dangers that precarious employment poses for society. 
 
Representatives of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine, and General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM), the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITGLWF), and the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF) reported to the Labour Minister that contract and agency labour and precarious forms of employment have been exploding around the world, bringing with it two categories of workers: one with good secure jobs and another category of workers faced with short term jobs, low wages, no social protection and a loss of rights. 
 
At a press conference in Istanbul today, Manfred Warda, ICEM General Secretary, said, &ldquo;Globally, the massive shift away from regular employment into temporary work or jobs through agencies and labour brokers is having a deep impact on all workers, their families, and on society. Erosion of the employee-employer relationship, often the basis of labour law, is leading directly to a growing number of violations of workers&rsquo; rights.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;There is a connection between international &lsquo;policy changes&rsquo;, those inspired by the international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which have encouraged work flexibility and brought with it a lowering of work conditions at national levels,&rdquo; added Warda. &ldquo;Such changes reflect clear employer strategies to weaken collective bargaining through part-time and agency work, and the ICEM will resist this in every way possible.&rdquo; 
 
Guy Ryder, ITUC General Secretary, reiterated today a message delivered by the global unions to the G-20 Summit last week, stating &ldquo;The expansion of precarious forms of work and deregulation of the labour market are not the answer to the employment crisis &ndash; in fact, the insecurity of working people over recent decades was a significant contributor to the recession. It is no coincidence that precarious work and fragile financial markets have both been developing in recent decades.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;The way forward must be based on sustainable, not precarious development - a sustainable economy where the financial sector is at the service of the real economy. We need social justice and environmental sustainability to reverse the damage done to our planet in a way that provides good, steady and secure jobs,&rdquo; added Ryder. 
 
Neil Kearney, ITGLWF General Secreatry said, &quot;Agency hires and temporary contracts destroy job security and undermine all other rights and promote gross exploitation of both the temporary worker and the permanent employee working alongside them.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;In Turkey, ITGLWF affiliate Teksif is locked in battle with Ederne Giyim where workers employed on an agency type arrangement with inferior wages and conditions are being used to reduce and eventually eliminate a permanent workforce of long standing. Union resistance to the worsening conditions has resulted in mass firings of union members,&rdquo; Kearney added. 
 
&ldquo;Elsewhere in Turkey, ITGLWF affiliates are in daily conflict with textile, clothing and leather industry employers using every means, including sub-contracting, undeclared labour and short-term contracts to prevent unionisation and the protection of workers' rights. Government action is urgently needed to restore worker protection against this onslaught,&quot; demanded Kearney. 
 
Jyrki Raina, IMF General Secretary, said &ldquo;Permanent jobs are being eroded by an increasing reliance by employers on labour hire via employment agencies. In some plants we are now finding that more than fifty per cent of the workforce are agency workers.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;The financial crisis has delivered a further blow to precarious workers. Hundreds of thousands of them have been the first to lose their jobs, because dismissing workers with no rights to severance pay or notice periods is a cheap and easy way for employers to reduce their workforces. The crisis has had significant and far reaching impacts on employment,&rdquo; he added. 
 
&ldquo;Here in Turkey, IMF affiliate Birlesik Metal Is has been supporting 350 workers who were dismissed last year by Sinter Metal for exercising their right to join a trade union. The company alleges that the dismissals were a necessary response to the financial crisis, but the evidence shows that this is no more than a weak excuse to dismiss union members and prevent workers from protecting their jobs,&rdquo; he said. 
 
Over the next week, metal worker unions around the world will be mobilizing against precarious work and will be joining with other national and sector unions around the globe in a World Day for Decent Work on Wednesday 7 October. 
 
The ICEM will focus World Day for Decent Work activities on its Contract and Agency Labour campaign in Thailand and Turkey. 
 
&ldquo;A sustainable recovery will not be built on precarious and substandard jobs. That&rsquo;s why around the world today, unions and their members are united in their demand for secure jobs and equal rights for all workers, &ldquo; said Jyrki Raina. 
 
The ITUC represents 170 million workers in 157 countries and territories and has 312 national affiliates; the ICEM represents 467 trade unions in 132 countries; and the IMF covers over 200 trade unions in 100 countries. 
 
Notes to editors: 
1. More information about the World Day for Decent Work can be found <a href="http://www.wddw.org/">here</a>. 
 
2. More information on the IMF campaign against precarious work can be found <a href="http://www.imfmetal.org/index.cfm?n=696&amp;l=2">here</a>. 
 
3. More information on the ICEM contract and agency labour campaign can be found <a href="http://cal.icem.org">here</a>. 
 
4. More information on the dispute at Sinter Metal can be found <a href="http://www.imfmetal.org/index.cfm?n=692&amp;l=2">here</a>. 
 
________________________________ 
For further information, please contact: 
Mathieu Debroux, ITUC, +32 2 224 0210 
Dick Blin, ICEM, +41 22 304 1842 
Neil Kearney, ITGLWF, +32 2 512 2606 
Anita Gardner, IMF, +41 22 308 5032

Global Unions Warn of Dangers in Contract, Agency Work

<img src="" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
ABD'nin en b&uuml;y&uuml;k ulusal sendikal merkezi AFL-CIO'nun Pennsylvania eyaletinin Pittsburgh kentinde yapılan 26. olağan genel kurulunda delegeler Richard Trumka'yı başkan se&ccedil;ti. ICEM &uuml;yesi ABD Birleşik Maden İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası (UMWA) &uuml;yesi Trumka 1995'ten bu yana AFL-CIO mali sekreterliği g&ouml;revini y&uuml;r&uuml;t&uuml;yordu. 
 
Batı Pennsylvania'da madenci bir ailenin &uuml;&ccedil;&uuml;nc&uuml; kuşağından gelen Trumka, sendikaların saflarına gen&ccedil;leri kazanarak Amerikan sendikal hareketini canlandırmayı vaat ediyor. G&ouml;revi devralırken yaptığı konuşmada, Trumka, &ldquo;değişen ekonomide Amerikalıların ihtiya&ccedil;larını karşılayacak yeni bir sendikal hareket&rdquo; inşa edeceğini vurguladı. 
 
AFL-CIO'ya &uuml;&ccedil; d&ouml;nem başkanlık yapan John Sweeney'den g&ouml;revi devralan Trumka sendika avukatlığı da yaptı. 1974'te UMWA'nın Hukuk Servisi'nde &ccedil;alışmaya başladı. 1982'de maden sendikasına başkan se&ccedil;ildi. 1995'te Sweeney'nin AFL-CIO y&ouml;netim ekibinde yer alana kadar bu g&ouml;revi y&uuml;r&uuml;tt&uuml;.
<img src="" width="180" height="200" alt="" />
Arlene Holt-Baker, Richard Trumka ve Liz Shuler
56 sendikadan toplam 10 milyon &uuml;yeyi &ccedil;atısı altında toplayan federasyonun mali sekreterlik g&ouml;revini ge&ccedil;en hafta Trumka'dan devralan Liz Shuler Elektrik İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası'ndan (IBEW) geliyor. Başkan yardımcılığı g&ouml;revine se&ccedil;ilen Arlene Holt-Baker ise kamu y&ouml;netimi &ccedil;alışanlarının sendikası AFSCME'den geliyor. 
 
Genel Kurul'da alınan 70 kadar karardan ikisi Irak'la ilgili. Kararlardan biri, Obama y&ouml;netimini, Irak'ta sendikaların meşruluğunu g&uuml;vence altına alan, ILO normlarına uygun bir iş yasası &ccedil;ıkarılması i&ccedil;in Irak y&ouml;netimi &uuml;zerindeki n&uuml;fuzunu kullanmaya &ccedil;ağırıyor. &Ouml;b&uuml;r karar ise ABD y&ouml;netiminin askeri işgale son vermesini ve askeri birliklerini bu &uuml;lkeden hızla geri &ccedil;ekmesini istiyor. 
 
Bir diğer kararda ise ABD'nin Honduras'taki askeri rejime yaptırım uygulaması isteniyor. Bu yaptırım &ccedil;er&ccedil;evesinde, Manuel Zeleya demokratik Honduras'ın meşru başkanı olarak tekrar g&ouml;revine d&ouml;nene kadar, ABD el&ccedil;isinin geri &ccedil;ekilmesi, Haziran 2009 darbesinden sorumlu kişilerin malvarlıklarının bloke edilmesi ve Honduras'la b&uuml;t&uuml;n ticari ilişkilerin askıya alınması &ouml;neriliyor.

ABD Maden İşçileri Sendikası&#039;ndan Richard Trumka AFL-CIO Başkanı

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ICEM Orta Avrupa ve Doğu Avrupa/Kafkaslar'da anat&uuml;z&uuml;k uyarınca b&ouml;lge toplantıları d&uuml;zenledi. 12 Eyl&uuml;l'de Orta Avrupa toplantısı Hırvatistan'ın Sibenik kentinde yapıldı. 
 
Toplantıya Bosna-Hersek, Hırvatistan, Macaristan, Makedonya, Romanya, Sırbistan, Slovakya ve Slovenya'dan sendika temsilcileri katıldı. Toplantıyı y&ouml;neten Slovakya kimya sendikasının başkanı Juraj Blah&aacute;k, tekrar b&ouml;lgeyle ilgili ICEM Başkan Yardımcısı se&ccedil;ildi. Blah&aacute;k, ayrıca, Orta Avrupa b&ouml;lge komitesinin başkanlığı g&ouml;revine de yeniden se&ccedil;ildi.
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Orta Avrupa toplantısındaki sekiz &uuml;lke sendikasının temsilcileri&nbsp;
Delegeler &uuml;lke raporları sundular, b&ouml;lgesel &ccedil;alışmalar &uuml;zerinde durdular ve k&uuml;resel ekonomik krizin her bir &uuml;lke &uuml;zerindeki etkilerini tartıştılar. ICEM Genel Sekreteri Manfred Warda ise ICEM'in k&uuml;resel faaliyetlerini a&ccedil;ıkladı ve Cenevre'de Haziran ayında yapılan ICEM Y&ouml;netim Kurulu toplantısında &ouml;zellikle ekonomik kriz &uuml;zerine yapılan g&ouml;r&uuml;şmeler ve alınan kararlar konusunda bilgi verdi. 
 
16 Eyl&uuml;l g&uuml;n&uuml; Ukrayna'nın başkenti Kiev'de Azerbaycan, Belorusya, Rusya, Ukrayna ve &Ouml;zbekistan sendikalarının temsilcileri Doğu Avrupa/Kafkaslar b&ouml;lge toplantısı i&ccedil;in bir araya geldiler. Toplantıyı, Rusya maden iş&ccedil;ilerinin sendikası Rusugleprof'dan, ICEM Başkan Yardımcısı ve B&ouml;lge Başkanı İvan Mohna&ccedil;uk y&ouml;netti.
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&nbsp;İvan Mohna&ccedil;uk (solda), &ccedil;evirmen Eugene Kuprin ve ICEM'den Manfred Warda 

ICEM &uuml;yelik aidatları konusunun da g&ouml;r&uuml;ş&uuml;ld&uuml;ğ&uuml; toplantıda, bu konunun gelecek ay yapılacak ICEM Başkanlar Kurulu toplantısına g&ouml;t&uuml;r&uuml;lmesi kararlaştırıldı. Delegelerin &uuml;lke raporlarından sonra, Manfred Warda ICEM Y&ouml;netim Kurulu toplantısı konusunda bilgi verdi. 
 
&Ouml;zbekistan Enerji, Kimya ve Jeoloji İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası'ndan Mavcuda Halilova b&ouml;lge toplantısına Kadın Komitesi'nin raporunu sundu.

ICEM Orta Avrupa, Doğu Avrupa/Kafkaslar&#039;da Bölge Toplantıları Yaptı

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ABD'nin Pittsburgh kentindeki G20 toplantısıyla ilgili olarak, ICEM &uuml;yesi Birleşik Elektrik, Radyo ve Makine İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası (UE), Pittsburgh United adlı bir sivil toplum grubuyla birlikte, bir dizi etkinliğin d&uuml;zenlenmesine &ouml;nc&uuml;l&uuml;k ediyor. Bu etkinlikler, G20 maliye bakanlarının ve k&uuml;resel ekonomik kurumların &ldquo;&ouml;nce insan&rdquo; g&uuml;ndeminin yerine &ldquo;k&acirc;r hırsı&rdquo;ndan oluşan neoliberal g&uuml;ndemi nasıl ge&ccedil;irdiklerini g&ouml;stermeyi ama&ccedil;lıyor. 
 
ABD'de sivil toplum grupları ile sendikalardan oluşan, &ldquo;Halkın Sesi: G20'nin Şirketlerin K&uuml;reselleşmesi G&uuml;ndeminin Sorgulanması&rdquo; adlı geniş bir ağ, Orta ve G&uuml;ney Amerika'daki benzer &ouml;rg&uuml;t ve gruplarla birlikte, 23-25 Eyl&uuml;l g&uuml;nlerinde d&ouml;rt forum d&uuml;zenleyecek. Forumlarda, d&uuml;nyanın d&ouml;rt bir yanında yoksulluğa, eşitsizliğe, işsizliğe ve &ccedil;evresel yıkıma yol a&ccedil;an G20 g&uuml;ndemi tartışılacak.
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&nbsp;23 Eyl&uuml;l'de ilk etkinlik olarak d&uuml;zenlenecek panelde, G20 politikaları ve toplumsal yaşam &uuml;zerindeki etkileri tartışılacak. Panele ABD Birleşik &Ccedil;elik İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası (USW) Başkanı Leo Gerard ve Nobel &Ouml;d&uuml;ll&uuml; iktisat&ccedil;ı Joseph Stiglitz de katılacak. 
 
24 Eyl&uuml;l akşamı d&uuml;zenlenecek bir başka panel, &ldquo;Halkın Sesi: K&uuml;resel/Yerel Bir Alışveriş&rdquo; adını taşıyor. Ayrıca, aynı g&uuml;n&uuml;n gecesi d&uuml;zenlenecek bir &ldquo;Halk Mahkeme&rdquo;nde G20'nin ekonomik &ouml;ncelikler g&uuml;ndemi yargılanacak. 25 Eyl&uuml;l g&uuml;n&uuml; d&uuml;zenlenecek &ldquo;Latin Amerika'dan Sesler&rdquo; adlı oturuma ise Bolivya, Honduras, Meksika ve Peru'dan sendika ve sivil toplum aktivistleri katılacak.

ABD&#039;de Sivil Toplum Grupları Pittsburgh&#039;da Alternatif G20 Forumları Düzenliyor

Hinweise f&uuml;r die Medien: 
Protest der Bergleute auf der Jahreshauptversammlung von Xstrata 
Ort: Congress Center Metalli, Parkhotel 
CH-6300 Zug 
Zeit: 10:00 Uhr 
 
Fotomotiv: Australische Bergleute auf der Versammlung in ihrer Arbeitskleidung. 
 
Die Jahreshauptversammlung der Xstrata-Aktion&auml;re findet am Mittwoch, 5. Mai um 11:00 Uhr Ortszeit in Zug statt (- 8 Stunden EST) 
 


Sprecher: Wayne McAndrew steht f&uuml;r ein Gespr&auml;ch unter der Telefonnummer +61 417 230 441 zur Verf&uuml;gung (CFMEU); Ansprechpartner in der Schweiz f&uuml;r die Medien ist Dick Blin, ICEM-Informationsb&uuml;ro, 079 734 8994 (Mobile), entweder auf der Veranstaltung oder f&uuml;r Interviews mit der CFMEU-Delegation in Z&uuml;rich am 4. Mai. 
 
Die Internationale F&ouml;deration von Chemie-, Energie-, Bergbau- und Fabrikarbeiterverb&auml;nden (ICEM) mit Sitz in Genf unterst&uuml;tzt die Proteste ihrer australischen Mitgliedsgewerkschaft, der Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), gegen den Konzern Xstrata. Die ICEM ist eine globale Gewerkschaftsf&ouml;deration mit 467 Mitgliedsgewerkschaften in 132 L&auml;ndern.

Hinweise für die Medien:Protest der Bergleute auf der Jahreshauptversammlung von Xstrata

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On 20-21 April, 82 trade union leaders from 14 countries participated in a wide-ranging conference of the ICEM&rsquo;s Asia-Pacific Region. The Sydney, Australia, meetings were expertly hosted and coordinated by the Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union (CFMEU) of Australia, which also provided generous support for many trade unions of the region to attend. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda was scheduled to attend, but scheduled flights out of Europe were grounded throughout that week due to volcanic ash from Iceland. Instead, Warda initiated a late-night telephone conference exchange with delegates from Geneva. 

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The ICEM&rsquo;s Asia-Pacific meetings were co-chaired by Kiyoshi Ochiai of UI Zensen, Japan, CFMEU&rsquo;s National President Tony Maher, and ICEM Asia-Pacific Regional Contact Person Phee Jung-sun. The CFMEU&rsquo;s John Sutton chaired the first day&rsquo;s union meeting. 
 
The regional forum had the distinction to hear representatives from the All China Federation of Labour (ACFTU) and the Oil and Gas Workers&rsquo; Union of Vietnam. Representatives from both gave candid and vivid descriptions of multinational companies operating in their countries, and engaged with ICEM&rsquo;s Asia-Pacific delegates on a number of issues. 

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Left, Peter Tighe of Australia&rsquo;s Communications, Electrical, and Plumbing Union, and CFMEU&rsquo;s Forestry Division leaders Alex Millar and Michael O&rsquo;Connor
On 20 April, a morning session consisted of experiences and potential work of trade unions is in the region, while the afternoon session covered ICEM&rsquo;s Contract and Agency Labour (CAL) project in the region. Six unions from Australia and two from New Zealand also joined discussions in central coordination of activities and experiences with multinationals. 
 
Delegates passed two resolutions, one reiterating ICEM&rsquo;s CAL work, but also stating strong and aggressive policies are needed toward senior leaders of corporations that deny trade union and other rights to temporary workers. 
 
The other resolution is specific to Thailand. It states that violations of freedom of association and the right to collectively bargain are rampant against both regular workers and temporary workers, and that education, establishment of company networks, and raising necessary resources for Thai unions to develop are necessary so that they can resist such anti-worker biases.

Asia-Pacific ICEM Regional Conference Held in Australia

Archive

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ABD Maden İşçileri Sendikası'ndan Richard Trumka AFL-CIO Başkanı

ICEM Orta Avrupa, Doğu Avrupa/Kafkaslar'da Bölge Toplantıları Yaptı

ABD'de Sivil Toplum Grupları Pittsburgh'da Alternatif G20 Forumları Düzenliyor

Hinweise für die Medien:Protest der Bergleute auf der Jahreshauptversammlung von Xstrata

Asia-Pacific ICEM Regional Conference Held in Australia

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